Your questions answered - an update on our current school guidance for parents and students
Someone in my household has tested positive for Covid19 can I come to school? (Includes being identified as a close contact of someone with Covid)
Over the past few days we have been made aware of increasing difficulties that people are experiencing whilst trying to book PCR tests, particularly for asymptomatic family members where someone in the household has tested positive for Covid19. Our aim is to do everything we can to keep our whole school community safe and have always been prepared to go beyond the minimum guidance to achieve this. However, the current availability of PCRs is creating an inconsistency in approach that we need to address.
The government guidance for individuals aged under 18 years and 6 months recommends that if children remain symptom free, they should test each day for 7 days using the LFDs and continue to come to school unless they test positive.
Therefore, we are now asking parents to inform us when a household member tests positive so that we can monitor individual students through the seven day testing period. Self testing should be done each morning before coming to school.
This change will take effect immediately
Please inform us via Nocv19@hccs.info and register the results at TestRegister.co.uk
Do I have to isolate for 10 days if I have Covid?
If you test positive for Covid19 you must isolate for 10 days. If you are aged under 18 years and 6 months or have had both vaccinations and the second one was at least 2 weeks before contracting Covid, then you have a potential option to end isolation after 7 days.
If you have no symptoms and record two negative LFD tests at least 24 hours apart, the first being no earlier than day 6, then you can end isolation at that point. So, if you test negative on day 6 and then again on day 7 you can end your isolation period and return to school. You must have two negative tests at least 24 hours apart.
If you are over the age of 18 years 6 months and have not been double vaccinated you must continue to isolate for the full 10 days.
Should I continue to take part in asymptomatic self testing if I’ve had Covid?
The uptodate guidance suggests that you should not take part in routine testing for a period of 90 days following a positive PCR because of the potential for false positive results. Guidance issued to schools preparing to reopen after the Christmas break asked everyone to test regardless of the 90 day rule just on this occasion.
The guidance remains however, if you have tested positive for Covid you should not take part in routine, asymptomatic testing for 90 days. During this period, if you develop symptoms then you should book a PCR test.
What should I do if my test is positive?
If you test positive using an LFT self test kit you MUST self isolate by law. If on the test cartridge the T and C lines are visible then your test is positive. The faintness of the positive line doesn’t change the results. There is also no value in repeating the LFD. Once identified as a positive result, you should isolate and book a PCR test. A negative PCR result overrides the LFD test, another LFD test doesn’t.
NHS Test and Trace will contact you and advise you on the period of isolation. Please stay in contact with us by email to Nocv19@hccs.info